Lars Eller, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna have formed a strong third line for the Penguins
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Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna did not join the Pittsburgh Penguins under the best of circumstances.
You may recall there was a global pandemic a few years back that shut down almost every aspect of life.
And it was in that context the Penguins, under former general manager Jim Rutherford, signed O’Connor and Zohorna as undrafted free agents in the dark days that made up the spring of 2020.
O’Connor was a hot commodity on the NCAA free agent market, and the Penguins landed him March 10 with a two-year entry-level contract as well as the promise of getting a better look in training camp than most prospects (to say nothing of his preferred No. 10 on his jersey instead of a clunky “training camp number” like No. 67).
A few weeks later on April 29, Zohorna was plucked out of obscurity from the Extraliga ledniho hokeje (ELH) in his native Czechia, signing a one-year entry-level contract with no guarantees except for a trip to North America. As it was, he was issued No. 67 upon reporting to Penguins training camp.
More than three years later, following apprenticeships with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, each is virtually entrenched in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup as wings of the team’s surprising third line.
“(Zohorna) and I played together a lot,” O’Connor said Oct. 28. “We just kind of know where each other are on the ice. We have that chemistry that we’ve built from the last little while. Off the ice as well, I think we get along really well. It’s really fun playing with him.”
There’s plenty of reason to rejoice over who they flank.
Veteran center Lars Eller.
“I enjoy playing with him,” said Zohorna, 27. “You can see how (much) experience he has and how he is playing. Calm. He’s not panicked. It’s great to play with guys like that.”
Zohorna has been playing with Eller and O’Connor since Oct. 21. After being recalled to the NHL roster for the first time this season one day earlier, Zohorna and his linemates generated a goal — the lone reason for satisfaction during a repugnant 4-2 road loss to the St. Louis Blues.
From the left corner of the offensive zone, O’Connor fended off Blues forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Marco Scandella, then rimmed the puck to the end boards for Zohorna. Shielding the puck from Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker, Zohorna flicked a backhand pass to the left of the crease to Eller, who whacked a forehand shot on net.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington made the save, but the rebound bounced toward the far post, where Zohorna swooped around and jabbed in a forehand shot under Binnington’s left leg.
Since then, that line has combined for three goals over the past five games entering Saturday.
“We have good chemistry,” Zohorna said. “We can generate a lot of chances. We can score more goals, I think. I enjoy playing with them.”
Zohorna was a late arrival to the line this season. Even after a strong preseason in which he produced three points (one goal, two assists) in four games, he was waived Oct. 9. After clearing, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the next day as management opted to give forward Jansen Harkins a try on that line.
After the Harkins experiment fizzled out, he and Zohorna were flipped for one another between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Since then, the third line has been a weapon for the Penguins thanks in part to the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Zohorna.
“He’s very skilled for the size he is,” said Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, who played with Zohorna in international competitions for their native Czechia. “He’s fairly quick too. You don’t really see that a lot with guys that are his size. That’s one of his strengths. He can get into the speed game as well.”
That was evident during the Penguins’ 4-3 home loss to the Ducks on Monday when Zohorna scored the Penguins’ final goal of the contest.
Off a backhand feed by Zohorna in the Ducks’ right circle, O’Connor leaned down and one-touched a wrister on net which goaltender Lukas Dostal denied. After O’Connor jabbed at the rebound, Zohorna swooped around the back of the cage and, utilizing his large frame, backhanded the puck from the left of the cage behind Dostal’s right skate.
“He’s a smart player. He’s a skilled player, obviously with his size and his reach,” O’Connor said of Zohorna. “Both of us can kind of get in there and hold onto pucks. He’s done a great job of doing that. He’s been a big boost for us.”
O’Connor boosted the Penguins to their signature win of the season, a 4-0 home victory against the powerful Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 26. And he didn’t even record a point.
After O’Connor harassed Cale Makar, the Avalanche’s franchise defenseman, into a flat performance through forechecking, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was so impressed, he suggested it was the best game of O’Connor’s four-year career.
“I feel like I try to approach every game the same,” a modest O’Connor said. “For whatever reason, it was working (against Colorado), I guess. Just felt good. Just tried to get in there and pressure him pretty good. … Guys like that, they like to hold on to pucks a little bit and make plays. If you pressure them a little bit, sometimes they’ll cough it up and make some mistakes. Just try to get in on them and cause those turnovers.”
Oddly enough, a turnover by O’Connor led to Eller’s first goal of the season (and first as a member of the Penguins) in that contest.
Pushing play up the right wing into the offensive zone, O’Connor pulled up deep in the corner and tried to center a pass to the slot for Zohorna. Backchecking Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen disrupted the sequence but was unable to maintain possession thanks to a poke check by Zohorna that directed the puck to the right of the crease. As goaltender Alexandar Georgiev slid out of position, Eller swooped in and lanced a backhander into a mostly vacant cage.
With Eller (6-2), O’Connor (6-3) and Zohorna, all three players offer long reaches and that played a role in how Eller’s goal was generated.
“It helps if you play the right way,” said Eller, who joined the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. “No matter the size or your reach or your weight, you’ve got to play with a competitive edge and aggressiveness to your game. (Zohorna) has been doing that. (O’Connor) has played well too. Hopefully, we’ll get him on the scoreboard soon as well because he’s got that in him.
“We have the assets and the ability to make it an effective line. Maybe we didn’t score a whole lot of goals early on, but we’re playing a low-risk game. If we can chip in a few offensively here and there and not let any in, I think we’re doing a good job.”
Eller has largely done his job throughout his career. That’s why he has lasted 15 years in the NHL. The 34-year-old clearly has a more seasoned perspective on most matters than his cherubic wingers.
“He kind of stabilizes our line,” said O’Connor, 25. “There’s a lot to learn from him. He’s played a lot of seasons. He’s a really smart player. He kind of sees things that maybe we don’t sometimes and he’s great at communicating on the bench with us. If he sees something that he thinks we should be doing differently, things like that. He’s been great to learn from for both of us.”
All three have benefited from one another since being assembled and have arrived as a potent third line.
“The last few games have been good,” O’Connor said. “There’s always areas to improve on. The foundation is there. We’ve just got to keep building.”